New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday asserted that the best man should be given the IMF top job. PM also questioned the Western monopoly of international institutions and asserted that the best available person, regardless of nationality, should get the coveted position.

“India's view is well known...the best available person regardless of nationality should be selected for the prestigious post of IMF chief,” Manmohan Singh, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel sitting next to him, said at a joint press conference.

Manmohan Singh admitted that the issue of the IMF chief's selection did not figure in the discussions with Merkel, but the message was clear to European powers who are not ready to cede control of top financial institutions.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has already announced her candidacy for the job of the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Germany is said to be keen on a European getting the coveted job.

This is the third time in a week Manmohan Singh has questioned the monopoly of Western powers over top jobs in the World Bank and the IMF.